Climate-Based PV Performance and Reliability
- $268k Funded by ARENA
- $579k Total project cost
Summary
This project will provide a publicly available, high quality PV performance database containing location-specific technical, operational and performance data.
Key results
PV fault reporting survey
As part of this project a PV Module and System Fault Reporting survey has been developed for anyone who owns, operates, installs or inspects a PV system and/or has detected a fault/problem with all or part of the system.
Benefit
This project will increase overall investment confidence in PV markets by providing information on performance and reliability of PV systems in Australian climate conditions.
Through participation in the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Program on Performance and Reliability and the International PV Quality Assurance Taskforce, the project will also contribute to establishing internationally agreed methods of assessing and communicating information about PV performance and reliability.
Need
There is a large range of photovoltaic (PV) modules and systems across Australia and the world operating under an extremely wide variety of climate conditions.
These variations in system specifications and climate can significantly impact overall performance.
Project innovation
This project will provide a publicly available, high quality PV performance database containing location-specific technical, operational and performance data.
Data will be collated from a variety of representative locations across Australia.
Analysis of the data and project outputs will highlight technical aspects of PV systems that need improvement, inform development of standards and guidelines, and enable comparisons to be made of performance, reliability and economics in different climate zones.
